Saved by Love
by idkdontaskwhy
Summary: Matthew Williams has had issues. With many things. For a long time. Can one girl help him realize his purpose in life?
1. A Hallway Meeting

_**[[HEY THERE! Yeah yeah, I know I haven't uploaded in a forever, don't need to yell!**_  
_**So this is my new story and I KNOW it's a sensitive topic! If you don't likey, I sowwy. I'll write something less heavy later. I do plan on making more than one chapter for this one. So follow and stay updated, kayy?**_  
_**BTW this idea for this was from a roleplay I was in before I got disconnected TTATT. PLEASE ENJOY AND REVIEW AND ALL THAT JAZZ! Tell me how I can be better]]**_

Matthew Williams was running through the mostly empty school hallway to get to a bathroom. He was itching to cut again. He knew it was bad and all, but he found it relaxing in certain situations. He reached in his back pocket for the harmful tool when someone, random and nameless, carelessly bumped into his arm, causing a gash in his hand.

"Shit…" He clenched his fist to conceal the blood and continued to speed walk through the hallway towards the restroom. Someone else bumped into him and he started getting frustrated, but held his composure enough to mumble out a "S-sorry…" He hid his hand behind his back and looked up to see his crush, none other than the adorable Lili Zwingli, standing there. She was pretty cute. She was wearing a light green dress with a sky blue ribbon tied into her hair. Matthew never knew why she wore a ribbon in her hair every day, but decided never to question it.

She looked up at the blonde boy with wide, worried eyes and immediately started apologizing. "O-oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She looked at his eyes and noticed the pained look in them. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked sympathetically.

Matthew let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, it's fine, Lili."

Lili bowed to show courtesy, like her brother taught her. "I'm so sor-" she started her apology but was cut off when she looked at the hand hidden behind his back and noticed his red sweatshirt sleeve riding up on his arm, revealing a few healing cuts. She straightened up, her eyebrows knitted together in concern as she looked back up at him. "Matthew…your arm…"

Matthew instinctively pushed down his sleeve, looking at the floor of the school hallway. His eyes started to brim with frustrated tears. "W-what about it…?" He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want anyone to know, much less the girl he had the biggest crush on.

Lili reached out carefully—almost like she was reaching out to a stray cat to see if it was dangerous—and took his hand. She slowly lifted up the sleeve to reveal multiple cuts and scars in various stages of healing. Matthew started to get defensive and yanked back his arm. "Why do you even care?! No one else has! So what now? Are you going to go off and tell the whole school? Tell everyone that the weird, quiet kid in the back of the class is 'emo' or whatever you call it?"

Lili was slightly hurt at his harsh words, but did her best to appear unphased. She took a deep, calming breath. "No. I know I wouldn't want anyone to know if this situation was reversed." She lifted up a small, petite arm and pulled her own sleeve back, showing fading scars from her past. "You're not alone. No one is." She pushed the sleeve back down and looked up at the quiet, blonde boy.

He was utterly shocked. Lili always looked so happy. He didn't think a single bad thing had ever happened to this sweet, kind girl. And yet here she was, revealing her scars so openly. All he could think to do was stare. Tears started to fill his eyes and he glued his them to the floor. Lili saw the glistening, sorrow filled tears and grabbed Matthew's hand again, pulling him into a comforting hug. Matthew could only cry. He wanted to be able to say something, but all that came out was heavy, choking sobs. Lili buried her face in his surprisingly muscly chest and started to rub his back soothingly. She whispered soft, comforting words in an attempt to comfort him as much as possible. She couldn't help but notice how nice he smelled…

She stood there comforting the normally reserved boy—who was pouring out his feeling right there in front of her—until his crying started to die off. She pulled back a little and looked up at him with wide, caring eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked. It may have been a stupid question, but it was the right thing to ask to a person who had just been sobbing in your arms for ten minutes.

Matthew wiped at his eyes and nodded. "I…I think so…thank you." When he looked at her, she suddenly appeared to be ten times more beautiful than he thought before and his heart jumped in his chest, almost wanting to get out.

"Of course! I'm glad I could at least help a little bit." She smiled as bright and warm as the sun. "So are you busy after school today?"

Matthew was shocked for a moment. "N-No…why?"

"Would you like to come over?"

…_.WHAT?_


	2. A Long Walk Home

…_WHAT?_

Matthew couldn't believe his ears. They must be lying to him. Did Lili Zwingli, the German girl he's had a huge crush on for years, really just invite him over to her house? No way…no way was this happening…

He then realized he had taken too long thinking and didn't reply fast enough. Lili raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned as her wide, sweet smile was still spread across her face. "So? Would you like to come over?"

Matthew blinked repeatedly to clear out his head. "U-uh…sure…I mean, if it's alright with you…"

Lili giggled in response, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If it really wasn't okay with me, do you think I would have asked?"

Matthew let out a half-hearted almost laugh. "I guess not…" Lili smiled and stepped back half a step. "Great! Do you want to meet me by the maple tree in the courtyard?"

Matthew's lip twitched up into a sort of slight smile. A maple tree. Did she know that was his favorite? "Sure…that sounds great."

Lili clapped in joy. "Yay! I'll see you there!" she turned and almost skipped off, going into one of the classrooms.

Matthew stood there for a few moments and tried to get his head on right and gather his bearings. He looked at the clock sitting on the wall. So much had happened in a short ten minutes. Of course, half of that time was spent with him crying while Lili comforted him, but he didn't care in the slightest. His crush was now his…friend? Acquaintance? He wasn't sure. He'd find out soon enough. He almost felt happy. Almost.

He looked at his hand and saw the blood drying there. He sighed and thought he should probably wash his hand off before going back to class. He walked into the bathroom and started washing his gashed hand. The pain didn't affect him. He was used to it by this point. He thought about why on earth she would invite someone like him over to her house. But more importantly, what did she think they would do? What was she planning? He thoroughly washed his hand and pulled out a roll of gauze he kept in his backpack and wrapped it around his injured hand carefully. [Yes, Matthew Williams keeps gauze in his backpack. Problem?] He'd done this at least a million times by this point. Once he finished wrapping, he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was disheveled and messy, his curl stuck out at an odd angle. His cheeks were red and puffy from the crying, so he used his free hand to turn on the faucet and splash his face with cold water. He wiped off his face with the sleeve of his red sweatshirt and looked up again. There, that was better.

Even though the cuffs of his sweatshirt were already at his wrists, he pulled the sleeves down slightly and walked out of the bathroom back towards his class.

One girl who cared made him completely forget about his mission.

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At the end of the school day, Matthew ran to his locker to grab his books and his jacket. He waited for most of the other students to leave before he went to meet Lili at the tree. He slowly walked down to the courtyard and saw her standing by the tree as promised. He took a moment to look at her. She was under the tree, looking up at the sky. She had a single headphone in her ear and she swayed rhythmically. The slight breeze tugged at her dress and wisped her hair around her face. She looked beautifully striking.

Matthew walked up to her slowly and said a soft-spoken "Hey." Lili flinched a bit in surprise and turned to him. "You scared me!" She laughed. "Hi. Are you ready?" she asked in a polite and sweet manner. Matthew nodded slowly, his mind still racing about what was about to ensue. "Great!" Lili exclaimed as she started walking. Matthew followed closely behind the petite girl, watching how she moved. She was a lot like a child in her figure, but her hips still swished slightly with her movements.

Lili finally spoke after about a block and a half. "So are you ever going to tell me why you were so rushed during third period?"

Matthew stared at the ground beneath his moving feet and continued to walk. "Maybe…but I thought it would have been obvious."

Lili looked at him puzzled and shook her head. "Sorry. Not really."

Matthew blinked. Huh. Isn't that odd…oh well… "O-oh…"

Lili desperately tried to change the subject, seeing that he was uncomfortable. "So Matthew, do you have any siblings?

Matthew scowled. Alfred…there was someone he didn't want to talk about. His half-brother was always so loud. Showing off and generally being cocky was his specialty. There was nothing more pathetic in Matthew's mind.

"Sadly, yes. He doesn't really acknowledge my existence though, so it's almost like I don't." _He's too busy being the hero of the school anyways…_ Matthew sighed as a certain memory came back to mind.

[FLASHBACK TIME!]

A couple of summers ago, Matthew knocked cautiously on Alfred's door. He was planning on telling him about the shitty day he had and try to find an emotional release other than sitting in the corner of his room with a razor.

Alfred called back, "Door's open, dude!"

Matthew slowly opened the door, the hinges letting out a small creak as he did. Alfred was sitting on his bed, controller in hand. He had on those headphones with the microphone on them. He, of course, was playing an obviously riveting game of Call of Duty. Such was a typical day for Alfred F. Jones.

Matthew tugged the cuffs of his green sweatshirt down and leaned against the doorframe. The room looked….American. A bookshelf with not a single book to be found, three of the walls painted with the nation's colors while the other bore a large flag. The room was messy and unkempt. Alfred was wearing a white t-shirt and loose-fitting jeans. Yes, there was no doubt in the world that his brother was American.

Matthew stared at the floor and spoke quietly. "H-hi, Al…"

Alfred's eyes flashed in his general direction, but then flitted back to his game. "Hey, Mattie. Do you need something?" Matthew looked up hopefully at his brother. _Maybe Al will listen…_

"Actually, yes. Do you have a couple of minutes?" He asked, voice slightly louder than before, holding onto an air of confidence in his brother.

Alfred apparently didn't pay attention as he called out nonsense into his microphone. "Ooohhhhhh!~ I totally got you, dude! What now?" He pumped his fist into the air and flopped back on the bed and rolled back up in the same, swift motion.

Matthew's eyebrows pulled together in frustration. _Really? Is he that engrossed in shooting people virtually?_ The soft-spoken Canadian spoke up again. "A-anyways, I kinda need to talk to someone right now. Could you take a few minutes to listen?"

Alfred vaguely heard what he said and nodded swiftly, not taking his eyes away from his mission. "Yeah, sure dude. Shoot."

Matthew hesitantly started telling his story. "W-well, the past couple of months…I've had this probl-" He was cut off by another call of victory from his brother.

"Wooooo! I win again! Wanna go for a round two, Iggy?" Alfred said, smiling like the idiot he was.

Matthew sighed in frustration, but tried to continue. "…This problem…I just feel like no one really-" Alfred started to whine into the microphone. "Awwww pleaaassseeee? I'll go easy on you this time!"

Matthew's face started to get flushed with anger and hurt. He wanted so bad to just shut off the T.V. and start yelling at him. But he didn't have the self-confidence to do that. He settled with sighing and turning away, tears filling his eyes as he ran into his room and shut the door. He flopped down on his bed as he cried into his pillow. It was true that no one cared for him. Not even his own brother…

[Flashback's over. Awwww :'(]

Matthew started subconsciously scratching his arm, still staring at the ground beneath him.

Lili noticed his quietness and turned to face him, eyes widening when she saw what he was doing. She took short, swift steps to get to him and pulled his clawing hand away from his arm. She took a hold of the other one and moved into his line of vision, looking at him with soft, caring eyes. "Matthew, are you okay? What's the matter? I'm sorry for bringing it up. I won't ask again." She softly took both of his hands into hers and leaned into his chest, nuzzling the soft pad of muscle. "Don't hurt yourself…please…"

Matthew looked down at her. His eyes, which were brimming with tears thirty seconds previous, cleared as he watched her. He felt warm, and not just because a blush and crept onto his cheeks. He felt warm inside. Was this what it felt like to have someone care? Was this what it was like to not feel invisible? He loved it if that's what it was.

Matthew buried his face in the top of her head and sighed. He liked being here. He could stay there all night if that was an option. But he pulled back begrudgingly, trying to maintain cautiousness of what was acceptable and what wasn't in Lili's mind. He wasn't sure if standing in the middle of the sidewalk while holding her hands and pressing his red face into her soft, blonde hair was. Lili looked up at him with wide eyes. Matthew realized that she was one of the only people in the universe to look him in the eyes when they spoke. Her eyes were a dark, emerald shade of green. As she looked into Matthew's eyes, it was almost like she was looking into his soul or as if she was trying to read his mind. She finally spoke with a soft voice. "Are you alright?"

Matthew looked down at her and resisted the overpowering urge to brush a strand of her hair back. Or kiss her. He nodded and sighed. He looked down at their entwined hands and then back up to her eyes. "Y-yes… I'm okay now…"

Lili smiled, looking genuinely relieved. "Good. But now you're walking next to me instead of behind me," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice as well as seriousness. She pivoted and pulled Matthew along, still holding onto one of his hands. Matthew blushed as he walked alongside her. He never thought this would happen to him in ten million life times.

They walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to Lili's house. The house wasn't too large. It wasn't like the other houses on nearby blocks, but it was certainly bigger than his. It had a simple appearance. The outside had wood paneling on it, but about three quarters of the way down, bricks lined the outside of the house. It was painted a soft, pale green. It was a cute house that anyone would like to live in.

Once they got there, Lili stopped and turned to face him. "Here we are. Just a fair warning though, don't be too scared by my brother. He's less intimidating than he looks once you get to know him well enough."

Matthew nodded in response. He didn't know she had any siblings. You learn something every day.

Lili took out the key and unlocked the door, opening it and pulling Matthew in with her. "Big brother, I'm home!" Just as she spoke, a gunshot fired in the house.


	3. An Awkward Moment or Two

_**[[HEY LOOK AT ME I'M NOT DEAD! Sorry it took me so long to upload….again….school and drama and school and drama and summer and being a butt. BUT HERE I AM!]]**_

Matthew stiffened out and suppressed an unmanly squeal, instead letting out a small yelp. His eyes had gone bigger than those of an ostrich and his hair almost stuck out at weird angles like in those weird Japanese shows. As soon as he could breathe, he turned his head and saw the fairly sizable bullet hole next to his head. _What the f-_

"Big brother, was that really necessary?" Lili said softly –successfully interrupting Matthew's thoughts- her eyebrows pulling together in a concerned and slightly upset way.

Matthew slowly and cautiously turned his head back to where the shot came from just in time to see a tall, blonde, rather burly man rise up from behind the couch. The tough blonde leaned his rifle against a wall where there was a fairly sizable collection. It was menacing really. Just like a bad horror movie that Alfred watched one time. It was fun to hear him scream like a little girl…

"Of course it was necessary. There is someone on my property and someone standing…" the unknown man's head whipped to glare at Matthew, "_…very _close to you."

Matthew automatically stepped a fairly large distance away from the petite blonde and looked down at his shoes. What kind of psychopath is this guy anyway? Does he always shoot at people he doesn't know who enter his house? It worried him for Lili's health…what if one day he wasn't paying attention and shot her as she was coming home from a nice evening stroll in the park?

Lili sighed and shook her head slowly. "I still don't think it was very nice…" She skipped over towards the man and wrapped her slender arms around his built waist. The man hugged back gingerly and glared pointedly at Matthew. The Canadian's hands started to shake ever so slightly. Well, at least he had the knowledge that Lili would always be safe. He sighed and peered up ever so slightly over his glasses. Lili looked so happy in that man's arms. Her brother, was it? They did look a lot alike…maybe it was the hair…

Matthew started to look around the house. It had little green and white and blue trinkets and knick knacks around. Some pictures of flowers and some white lilies sitting on the table. Ha-ha…Lilies…Lili…was that a coincidence? But the house really wasn't all that big. It suited two people…which was all there seemed to be living there…wait…where were her parents? Were they completely out of the picture? He assumed so…poor girl. He didn't feel too bad for the man though. He was mean to him.

Lili gazed up at the man with her large, beautiful green orbs. "Aren't you at least going to introduce yourself to my friend? It's only polite." To this the man sighed and pulled away from his sister, walking over to Matthew slowly. As soon as he was an acceptable distance away, he held out his hand stiffly. "I'm Vash, Lili's older brother." His voice was deep and strong….and super protective. It was something that told Matthew that he had to look out. Matthew quickly stuck out his hand and slid their palms together, curling his fingers around the man's hand. "I-I'm Matthew. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vash's hands were big…and massive…and could probably crush him with a simple flick of his wrist. But no matter, he was here for Lili, not to be terrified by her brother. Although, it was probably quite possible for him to do both.

Vash's hand quickly slipped away from Matthew's and he walked back over to Lili, standing at her side like a tower. He was awfully good at looking scary. Lili looked up at him again and connected her dainty hands behind her back. "Would you like me to make supper?" Vash shook his head. "No, I can do it tonight. You should spend time with your….guest." Matthew could feel his self-esteem dropping like mad. Not that he had much to begin with, but this guy was so making it ten times worse for the boy.

Lili smiled and nodded. "Thank you! We'll be in my room if you need anything." Lili trotted back over to Matthew with a happy smile on her face. Vash looked at the two with cautious, protective eyes, although, something told Matthew that it wasn't him he was protecting. "Keep your door open, Lili." To this, Lili rolled her eyes slightly. She was facing Matthew, so it didn't catch Vash's eye, but it made Matthew giggle a little. She had some sass…cute. "Yes, big brother." She took Matthew's wrist and started to pull him to her room. It seemed like just a one floor house; there was not a single flight of stairs in sight.

Lili smiled as she tugged the blonde boy behind her, obviously excited about something, even if it was just being able to spend some time with the boy. She opened the door to her room and inside everything was light green and pale pink. They were colors that suited the girl in Matthew's mind. Colors that said cute, but mature. It wasn't at all like a typical little girl's room. Lili was most definitely not a little girl. Not in the sense that most people would say, anyway. She was little in the physical sense, but Matthew could tell she was mentally strong and mature.

Lili pulled Matthew to sit on her bed and she plopped down beside him on her back, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "Ahhh, finally. Home and relaxing…" She turned her head to meet her eyes to the purple ones of the boy beside her, who was looking over her lithe and graceful form ever so subtly. "I'm sorry about my brother…he can get kind of protective and possessive of…everything."

Matthew sighed at that. Poor girl, for her to think that she would have to apologize for her brother. He waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. "It doesn't matter to me. Everyone is different and has their own personality. You don't have to apologize for him." Although, he did have to admit, it did feel nice to hear an apology for once instead of giving them out twenty-four-seven. And even if he felt like he deserved the apology, Vash was the one who should be dealing them, not this sweet girl. Lili sighed and laid an arm over her head, her elbow bending at just the right angle, the folds of her dress accenting every part of her perfectly. This caused Matthew to gawk over her form once again. She was so beautiful in his eyes and she always seemed to be incredibly polite to everyone she met, but she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was everything he wasn't. Brave…kind…outspoken…

Lili noticed the boy's reverie and tilted her head ever so slightly. "You okay, Mattie? I can call you that, can't I? Tell me if anything I do bugs you, okay? I know it always helps me to say what I'm thinking as I'm thinking it." There she goes, being brave and kind and strong.

Matthew quickly nodded to her statement. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. And you can call me whatever you want, I'm not picky. I respond to everything."

Lili let out a soft giggle and shook her head softly. "You're cute."

Matthew's face lit up like a game show board. He could feel the heat rising fast to his cheeks and he averted his eyes quickly to avoid becoming mute from sheer embarrassment. "Th-thank you, eh…" he said quietly, a little of his Canadian accent slipping through his tone.

Lili giggled again. What was it with this girl? Did she have to be so sweet and adorable as to make the shy Canadian so flustered? Matthew's eyes flitted up to hers and saw the smile that lit them to the ends of the universe. It made him feel like he was positively flying on cloud nine. That was something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Lili slowly sat up and ran her fingers through her soft golden locks, automatically fixing the lavender ribbon as her deft fingers slipped over it. "So, Mattie, You never did answer my question before. You know, while we were walking over here?"

Matthew's mind froze yet again. Here he was, backed into a corner, falling off his cloud yet again. Would Lili judge him for his previous mission during school hours? The sacred act that made his mind stop if only for a moment. The thing that made everything he was feeling inside physical and palpable. His face paled, the blush receding from it completely. "I-I…uhm…" He started to fidget with his own hands, trying to get his mind to work again. Could he really tell her that he was trying to glide a blade over his skin in the bathroom during school hours? What would she think? How would she act? But wait…she had scars too…would she judge him less? Would she judge at all? Matthew took a deep breath and let out with it. "I was trying to get to the bathroom…it was a really stressful day today and I needed…release…I brought my blade…" He didn't feel the need to continue further. He messed with the bandaging on his hand and sighed heavily.

He saw Lili's face fall with a somber expression. Suddenly, Matthew felt himself in her warm and yet soft embrace once more. Her hug was similar to a tackle and Matthew lost his balance, having not expected it in the slightest and tumbled back onto the bed. She buried her soft and childish face into his neck softly and held him tighter. "I'm sorry…I didn't know…you were to do it then…" Matthew heard the whimper of distress in her voice and his arms quickly snaked around her. "Hey, w-wait…i-it's okay…you…you caught me before I could…and…you stopped me. So you don't need to be sorry. You helped. You saved my arms from another cut." He nuzzled her head with the side of his own, unable to resist due to the extreme closeness of her in his presence. Her pure blonde hair tangled together with his dishwater blonde hair at the action and he pressed even closer to her. He still had strong feelings for her, but just let what was there be for now. He didn't want to spoil what little he had with this precious, beautiful, stunning girl. Her embrace was warm and she smelled like white lilies and sunshine. The feeling of her face pressed into his shoulder was like experiencing Christmas for the first time. It was exciting and new and welcomed greatly. Although the reason made him less than ecstatic.

He slowly pulled back to face her and looked deeply into her shining emerald eyes. "Lili, you have no reason to be sorry. You've done nothing but help." Suddenly, he realized how close their faces were. It was everything he had not to kiss her right here. He quickly turned away his face to avoid further embarrassment. Lili's hand caught his jaw and turned him back to her. "I still don't ever want you to have to think that a blade is your only option. From now on, I'm here with you too. You can talk to me rather than a knife and a corner, okay? Please?" Matthew heard each intonation of desperateness in her voice and saw her eyes shining and sparkling with hope, so he nodded quickly, wishing to make her happy in any way possible. "Okay. I will."

She smiled sympathetically at him and let her hand trail off his jaw softly. "Okay…" She quickly rolled off of him and sat up on the bed, leaving Matthew laying there. What…what just happened…? Wow, he felt like an idiot. He should have just planted one on her! UHG! He sat up as well and sighed. What time was it anyway? He pulled back his sleeve just slightly to look at his watch, careful to reveal nothing more. Only four o' clock?! It would be a while until he had to get home for supper…He turned to Lili and raised an eyebrow. "Should we do homework or something?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Sounds great! I'll get my bag." She quickly got up and gracefully trotted out of the room to the front door.

Matthew watched after her and sighed happily. It was some sort of miracle to be able to know this girl at all, much less be in her house, talking to her, and having an almost kiss opportunity moment with her. As she came back, book bag in hand, he almost smiled at her. His lip just sort of twitched.

Lili plopped down beside him and reached into her bag. She took out various books and their corresponding worksheets and then gnawed at her lip, turning to him. "I just realized, I don't have a pencil…Do you have one I can borrow?" Matthew already had out his messy black accordion folder with corners of various colored papers sticking out left and right and a few textbooks. Upon hearing her question, his head whipped around to her. "O-oh…sure. There should be one in my bag somewhere."

She smiled graciously and ducked her head down. "Thank you." She took Matthew's bag and reached a hand in, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she searched while her emerald orbs rolled up to the ceiling. She was searching purely with her hands. How cute was she? She certainly looked adorable as she did such things. "Thanks for letting me borrow one; I'll be sure to—OUCH!"  
_Oh sh—_

_**[[THERE! I'll try my very very hardest to not take such a long time to upload. Thank you for reading! R&R and I'll give you a cheesecake!~]]**_


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